Attorney General Matt Denn announced the appointment of Deputy Attorney General Sonia Augusthy as the new head of the Office of Civil Rights and Public Trust.

Since November 2016, Augusthy served as the head of the Department of Justice’s Felony Screening Unit. Augusthy has been with the department since 2009, previously serving in the Sex Crimes Unit, and as the assistant head of the Felony Trial Unit. Before joining DOJ, Sonia was a litigation associate with the firm of Casarino, Christman, Shalk, Ransom & Doss. Augusthy is a graduate of Temple University and the Widener University School of Law.

Augusthy replaces Deputy Attorney General Allison Reardon who was recently named State Solicitor.

Attorney General Denn created the Office of Civil Rights and Public Trust on his second day in office in 2015. The office is responsible for protecting individual rights and liberties of Delawareans, enforcement of laws designed to ensure citizen trust in government, and conducting investigations where other responsibilities of the department might present the appearance of a conflict of interest.

“I am grateful to have Sonia assume the duties of leader of the Office of Civil Rights and Public Trust,” Attorney General Denn said. “Her experience and sound judgement will allow the office to continue to function with the same effectiveness it has since its inception.”

(DOVER, Del.—March 6, 2018)—State Sen. Bruce Ennis and state Rep. William Carson recently visited Belmont Hall, located at 217 Smyrna–Leipsic Road in Smyrna, Del., to celebrate the accreditation of the museum system of the State of Delaware by the American Alliance of Museums, the highest recognition afforded to museums in the United States. Administered by the Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs, the system includes five state museums, over 40 historic properties and the state’s archaeological and historic-objects collections.

Developed and sustained by museum professionals for over 45 years, the alliance’s accreditation program is the field’s primary vehicle for quality assurance, self-regulation and public accountability. It strengthens the museum profession by promoting practices that enable leaders to make informed decisions, allocate resources wisely and remain financially and ethically accountable in order to provide the best possible service to the public.

In 1684, William Penn granted the 600-acre parcel of land on which Belmont Hall is located to Henry Pearman. After six changes of ownership, 91½ acres of the property were sold in 1771 to Thomas Collins who would go on to serve as a member of the Delaware General Assembly, brigadier-general in the American Revolution and eighth president of Delaware. In 1773, Collins completed construction of the grand Georgian structure which he named Belmont Hall. From that time until the adoption of the U.S. Constitution, the home was the scene of many meetings attended by noted patriots Caesar Rodney, Allen McLane, Col. John Haslett, Lt. Co l. Charles Pope, John Dickinson, Thomas McKean and Judge Richard Bassett.

In 1867, Belmont Hall was inherited by Caroline Cloak Peterson. After the death of Howard Peterson in 1875, she married Gideon Speakman in 1876. Caroline made a number of changes to the property including the addition of a Gothic-Revival porch and the development of 20 acres of gardens including two boxwood formations at the front and rear of the house. After a devastating fire in 1922, her son Cummins Speakman and his wife Marjorie restored the home to its original condition and floor plan, and members of the Speakman family continued to live there until 1987 when the property was acquired by the State of Delaware as part of the Route 1 construction project. Administration of Belmont Hall was transferred to the Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs later that year and it was opened for use as a state conference center in 1993.

In 2010, the division entered into a partnership with the non-profit Friends of Belmont Hall which sponsors several community events at the site throughout the year in addition to renting the house and grounds for meetings, weddings and parties.

-End-

Contact:
Jim Yurasek
Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs
Phone: 302-739-7787
E-mail: Jim.Yurasek@delaware.gov
Web: http://history.delaware.gov

Governor Carney conducted live demonstration of the system to show enhanced capabilities

NEW CASTLE, Del. – Governor John Carney on Monday recognized that Delaware’s 911 centers are now equipped to accept emergency requests for help through text message.

Today Delaware announced that all 911 centers statewide are ready to receive text messages in the time of an emergency.

“There are many emergency situations that occur each day placing our citizens in a position where making a call is not possible,” said Governor Carney. “Text-to-911 is a life-saving technology, giving our citizens one more way to reach out for help when they need it most. This is just another step Delaware is taking to make our communities safer.”

While “Text-to-911” is now available, voice calls to 911 are still the best and fastest way to contact 911 in the event of an emergency.

“Text-to-911” is meant for times when a call to 911 is not possible due to the caller being incapable of speech during an emergency, if the caller is hard of hearing, or if the caller is in a situation where it is not safe to place a voice call.

Recent upgrades to equipment and operating system software in 911 Centers statewide, funded through the State’s E911 Board provided the technology needed to support text messaging. This project transitioned the State’s 911 emergency communications system which operated on copper lines to an internet based system with more flexibility for communication and interoperability.

“As chair of the State’s E911 Board, I am extremely proud of this project as the system permits our 911 Centers to accept texting today and in the future will enable us to accept other types of electronic data including pictures and video,” said Safety and Homeland Security Secretary Robert Coupe. “This project also provides new technology that significantly improves operations for our 911 Centers making emergency communication more reliable and efficient for our citizens and the public safety community.”

To quickly get help through Text-to-911, the first text should be short and include the location of the emergency and ask for police, fire, or ambulance. Texts should be in simple words with no emojis, abbreviations or slang. Texts should also not be included on a group conversation.

“The 911 system has been a literal lifesaver for millions of Americans over the years, and since its introduction in the 1960s, 911 has had to adapt to all sorts of changes in technology, public safety needs, and user habits,” said Sussex County Council President Michael H. Vincent, a longtime volunteer firefighter and member of the State’s E911 board. “There was a time when most calls came from landlines at physical addresses. That’s not true today with everyone carrying a cell phone. So by offering the ‘text-to-911’ feature, Sussex County and Delaware’s 9-1-1 call centers are once again adapting to change, and will now have the latest technology in place to continue providing the critical service our public expects. If one person uses this features and it saves a life, then it proves its worth.”

“Text-to-911 is a critical lifeline for those experiencing domestic violence and for other victims of crimes to reach out for immediate help when making a phone call is simply too dangerous. Those who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability now have a powerful tool to connect with first responders,” said New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer. “We should all be proud that our public safety leadership across the county and state are embracing wireless technology to provide a more efficient response. Call 911 when you can. Text 911 when you can’t.”

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Download the PDF fact sheet.

DOVER — While flu in Delaware continues to be widespread, the Division of Public Health (DPH) announces single-week flu numbers are finally starting to drop. There were 893 laboratory-confirmed influenza cases for the week ending February 24, a sharp decline from the record-setting 1,521 cases reported the previous week. These numbers reflect only laboratory-confirmed cases and the actual number of flu cases in Delaware is likely much higher. The 893 new cases bring the season total to 6,674 laboratory-confirmed influenza cases for the 2017-2018 season, the highest number of confirmed cases since record-keeping began in the 2004-2005 season.

Additionally, DPH is announcing five more flu-related deaths, bringing the total to 28, tying the highest death total on record in 2014-2015. Four of the five deaths were more recent, while one occurred during the first week in February. The deceased individuals ranged in age from 53 to 92. All five were from New Castle County and all had multiple underlying health conditions.

“While we believe that flu season has peaked for us in Delaware, flu is still widespread and at high levels in our state, and will likely continue to circulate for weeks to come,” said DPH Director Dr. Karyl Rattay. “We strongly encourage everyone to continue practicing the important preventive measures we have been promoting including staying home when you’re sick, calling your doctor at the first signs of flu-like illness, washing your hands frequently, and covering coughs and sneezes.”

If you are sick, do not go to school, work, or other social functions until you are fever-free (temperature less than 100 degrees F; 37.8 degrees C) for at least 24 hours without fever-reducing medication.

Although the overall number of flu cases have gone down, DPH reminds Delawareans that as long as flu is circulating in the community, there is still time to get a flu vaccine. DPH has added several flu clinics to its schedule. There will be a clinic Tuesday, March 6, at the Adams State Service Center, 544 S. Bedford St., Georgetown, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and from 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. There is also a clinic scheduled on Wednesday, March 7 at the Williams State Service Center at 805 River Road, Dover, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Registration will be in the first floor lobby. DPH offers ongoing free flu shots at five State Service Centers. For more information about free flu clinics, visit http://dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/fluclinics.html. To shorten your wait time, you can complete the vaccination form found at the bottom of the webpage and bring it with you.

DPH continues to emphasize the importance of taking antivirals if prescribed by your doctor, and visiting either your doctor or a walk-in clinic rather than the emergency room when symptoms are non-life threatening. People who are extremely ill with symptoms such as trouble breathing, bluish skin color, fever with a rash, dizziness, or severe or persistent vomiting should seek out immediate medical help. Your primary care provider may decide to provide antiviral medications to help speed up recovery and prevent serious complications without an in-office visit. DPH asks medical providers to consider starting antiviral treatment for all hospitalized patients and all high-risk patients with suspected influenza. In addition, DPH encourages providers to consider antiviral treatment for any patients with influenza-like illness, including those not usually considered to be at high risk for influenza complications.

For more information about flu surveillance in Delaware, read the weekly flu report at http://dhss.delaware.gov/dph/epi/influenzawkly.html.

A person who is deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind or speech-disabled can call the DPH phone number above by using TTY services. Dial 7-1-1 or 800-232-5460 to type your conversation to a relay operator, who reads your conversation to a hearing person at DPH. The relay operator types the hearing person’s spoken words back to the TTY user. To learn more about TTY availability in Delaware, visit http://delawarerelay.com.

Delaware Health and Social Services is committed to improving the quality of the lives of Delaware’s citizens by promoting health and well-being, fostering self-sufficiency, and protecting vulnerable populations. DPH, a division of DHSS, urges Delawareans to make healthier choices with the 5-2-1 Almost None campaign: eat 5 or more fruits and vegetables each day, have no more than 2 hours of recreational screen time each day (includes TV, computer, gaming), get 1 or more hours of physical activity each day, and drink almost no sugary beverages.

Contractor R.E. Pierson will begin the next phase of work on the Route 141 Centre Road project on Monday, March 12, 2018.

On Monday, March 12, in preparation of the upcoming northbound lane closures, southbound Route 141 will be reduced to one lane from Route 100/Montchanin Road to Route 48/Lancaster Pike.

On Thursday, March 15, traffic will be shifted into a contraflow pattern on the southbound lanes of the roadway allowing one lane of southbound traffic and one lane of northbound traffic. This will allow for the complete closure of the northbound Route 141 lanes from Route 48/Lancaster Pike to Route 100/Montchanin Road.

The $17 million project, which began in October 2017, will replace the existing concrete roadway on this 1.4 mile section of Route 141 and on the Route 52/Kennett Pike interchange ramps, as well as replace concrete curbing, drainage, and guardrails.

Delays will be greater than what motorists experienced in the fall of 2017 during the first phases of the project and DelDOT is strongly recommending that motorists use alternate routes as major delays will persist into November 2018.

Ramps from Route 141 north to Route 52/Kennett Pike north and south will also be closed for the duration of work to reconstruct the northbound lanes of the road. In addition, no left turns will be permitted from Route 141 north onto Barley Mill Road or from Barley Mill Road onto Route 141 north.

The work on Route 141 north is expected to be completed in summer 2018. Contraflow traffic will then be shifted to the new northbound lanes and work will begin on Route 141 south, and continue into November 2018.

DETOUR INFORMATION
During the closures of the Route 52/Kennett Pike ramps located on the northbound side of Route 141 traffic will be detoured onto Route 100/Montchanin Road.

For additional information, an overview of the project can be found here.

Motorists may adjust their routes or travel times by using DelDOT’s Smartphone application. The DelDOT App is available for Apple & Android smart phones and tablets, and can be downloaded free, search for “DelDOT” at the Apple and Google Play stores. With the DelDOT App you can view real time traffic cameras, travel times, delays, advisories, DART’s Real-Time Transit Information, and also listen to WTMC 1380 AM.